Evers Administration, DHS, DPI Remind Schools of Support, Resources Available to Help Keep Kids and Educators Safe in School as Omicron Spreads
In order to keep students, teachers, and staff safe and in school, the Evers Administration and Department of Health Services (DHS) sent a letter to all public, private, and independent charter schools detailing the tools that DHS and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) have made available to schools to help in this effort.
“DHS and DPI want to be sure all schools and families know about the full array of options available to them to keep students, teachers, and staff healthy and in school,” said DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. “The Omicron variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the state of Wisconsin, and we are witnessing rapid transmission and rising case numbers, particularly in kids under age 18. We recommend parents and schools use all the tools in our toolbox to stop the spread of COVID-19. If we can all work together to stop the spread, we can keep schools open and kids learning.”
Schools have multiple mitigation strategies available to help stop the spread of COVID-19. We urge school leaders and parents to participate in and support these approaches to keeping children safe:
- Enroll in the DHS School-Based Testing Program. DHS has secured federal funding to provide in-school testing through appropriate vendors as a way to help schools protect everyone in their buildings.
- Host a school-based vaccination and booster clinic during drop-off and pick-up times. All children ages 5 and older are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, and the CDC recommends all children ages 12 and older receive a booster five months after they receive their primary vaccine series. COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and provide the best protection from getting seriously sick, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19.
- Require masks in schools to support in-person learning. Well-fitting, multi-layered masks have been shown to restrict respiratory droplet spread, helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19. If districts need KN95 or N95 masks and are not able to obtain them from other sources, they may be requested from the Department of Health Services stockpile. Instructions for submitting requests are available on the DHS COVID-19: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) page.
- DHS supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) updated isolation and quarantine strategies(link is external). Students, teachers, and staff should get tested and isolate at home when they are sick, or quarantine and get tested if they have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. The CDC guidance requires mask wearing as part of their shortened isolation and quarantine measures. People diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19 should also wear a mask following their isolation and quarantine periods. When isolation and quarantine measures are not implemented, COVID-19 can spread throughout a school and cause illness that could lead to hospitalization and death.
“We must work together to achieve the common goal of healthy kids, healthy educators, and safe schools, and that means implementing and continuing layered mitigation measures in schools,” said Wisconsin State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly. “I’m grateful for DHS’s leadership to keep our kids and educators safe.”
On December 20, DHS issued a public health advisory calling on all Wisconsinites to take urgent action to prevent additional hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. We all have a critical role to play in stopping the spread. To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider in your community, visit Vaccines.gov(link is external), or call 211 or 877-947-2211. For up-to-date information about Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage. We encourage you to follow @DHSWI on Facebook(link is external) and Twitter(link is external), or dhs.wi on Instagram(link is external) for more information on COVID-19.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Coronavirus Pandemic
- MHD Release: Milwaukee Health Department Launches COVID-19 Wastewater Testing Dashboard - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Jan 23rd, 2024
- Milwaukee County Announces New Policies Related to COVID-19 Pandemic - County Executive David Crowley - May 9th, 2023
- DHS Details End of Emergency COVID-19 Response - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Apr 26th, 2023
- Milwaukee Health Department Announces Upcoming Changes to COVID-19 Services - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Mar 17th, 2023
- Fitzgerald Applauds Passage of COVID-19 Origin Act - U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald - Mar 10th, 2023
- DHS Expands Free COVID-19 Testing Program - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Feb 10th, 2023
- MKE County: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rising - Graham Kilmer - Jan 16th, 2023
- Not Enough Getting Bivalent Booster Shots, State Health Officials Warn - Gaby Vinick - Dec 26th, 2022
- Nearly All Wisconsinites Age 6 Months and Older Now Eligible for Updated COVID-19 Vaccine - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Dec 15th, 2022
- City of Milwaukee Bi-Weekly COVID-19 Update - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Dec 9th, 2022
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